Megan Fathers – Mom of 2 Suffers Severe Adverse Reactions to AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine

This is Megan’s story:

As some people know I had the first AstraZeneca COVID Vaccine at the end of February.

March came around and I started to get some speech loss, confusion and migraines, followed by the worst chest pain I’d ever experienced, like someone was ripping my heart out and playing the accordion with my lungs. Then the confusion turned into memory loss, not like I’d forgotten something in the next room this was I didn’t know where I was, sometimes who I was and even in one case my own children.

That’s how it all started…. And then came the passing out, which caused uncontrollable spasms, in my legs, arms and hands.

And then in April the passing out got worse and little did I know this year would never be the same again. I’d begin to pass out every day or every other day, I’d called 111 countless times as I couldn’t get through to my doctors, had my fair share of ambulances turn up and some lovely long trips to A&E and they all had different theories, some my heart, some my head, All the meanwhile still trying to get a doctors appointment in the middle of a pandemic.

When I finally got one through a lovely team of paramedics that had come to my rescue a few times after months of feeling tired and alone, I was told it was my asthma playing up, followed by my anxiety getting worse because of the pandemic. For 3 whole months that’s how it stayed. ANXIETY. I would ring most days to get a doctors appointment in between passing out and not knowing what kind of person I’d be when I woke up again… if I’d remember my kids, if I’d be able to speak or walk or what kind of pain I’d be in from dropping to the floor like a sack of spuds.

Until finally after 3 months of calling 111 instead, I finally saw my GP who sent me for some tests.

Since then I’ve had : 72 hour heart monitor A week long heart monitor CT on my brain MRI on my whole body Countless blood tests An echo multiple referrals to cardiology and neurology, which are still going on to this day and god knows what other tests every time I’ve got to A&E.

Countless medications, scans, blood tests later and I finally am closer than I’ve ever been to an actual diagnosis. Vaccine induced FND, which is causing non-epileptic fits and severe migraines I’m closer than I’ve ever been to a real diagnosis and starting the help I need and If it wasn’t for the support through all of this from my friends and family, especially my mum I don’t think I would’ve made it through this year.

I’ve lost a lot of freedom a long the way, had to quit my job to focus on my health and getting better. I haven’t driven since April and it’s been months since I’ve done anything by myself, like walks or even playing with my children, a lot of my day is still spent in fear of another attack but I am finally getting to a place where I know I can’t let these things scare me into not living my life.